


As the Stitch Goes

by skekMal



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skekMal/pseuds/skekMal
Summary: A gift for my friend Ryan - a bit funny, a bit lovely smol tale about skekEkt and skekAyuk.
Relationships: skekAyuk/skekEkt (Dark Crystal)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	As the Stitch Goes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ryanglitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryanglitter/gifts).



The feasting chamber was loud, as always during the solstice. The gelfling guests, invited just to be dazzled by the skeksis, departed a long time ago, to allow their lords for doing all the things they wouldn't want to witness.

"One gelfling is a bother, ten - already a crowd!" squawked skekOk, raising one of the countless cups of wine, and spreading on the soft pillows.

The feast was special, by any means, because both skekMal and skekSa were present. All attention - well, almost all - of the court skeksis was centered over both.

skekSo nonchalantly played with the goblet, looking from time to time at skekMal. Like he wanted to make sure he won't drift too close to the Mariner. It was known to all skeksis about the secret arrangement the Emperor and the Hunter, had but they all could only guess.

Usually, they were all guessing wrong. Painfully wrong.

skekTek, happy and easy, leaned over skekAyuk's arm, tugging at his sleeve.

"Ghmppp... Gourmand, delicious pickled marn legs! Who would guess they will be edible?"

"You shouldn't eat anything, or your pets won't recognize you!" wheezed skekLi.

"Pets? Eh... they are my laboratory equipment."

"Yes? Who then coos in your cave?"

"Pah."

skekTek filled the next cup and guzzled it down, intoxicating himself even more. To the joy of the Satirist and Collector.

skekEkt fanned himself heavily, feeling every pore of his skin absorbs smoke and drunken breaths of his brethren. For him, such feasts were nothing but a waste of time. He liked the beginnings, with dances, protocol favoring grace.. but later it all was turning into group orgy and drinking until they collapse at each other, which was certainly not his style.

Besides...

"skekAyuk, remind me why I am still here, love?"

The Gourmand chuckled, his hand landing on the thickly sauced nebrie half.

"To be the witness of my triumph of course. Just see, until the podlings bring the glazed makras! skekMal was hunting for them deep in the desert but it was me, whose prey they eventually became."

"Oh my..." skekEt moved in his seat. "Are you sure they will even see the makras, not mentioning appreciating it? They are drunk more than me after I was named the Designer."

"I guess they must see it, it's quite big."

"You know what I meant."

"Yes, they are drunk." admitted skekAyuk, looking at skekSo eying skekSa dangerously. "Except our dear Emperor. He would have good use of some glazed meat right now."

"Don't propose it to him, or he bites through your neck" skekEkt looked at him shrewdly.

"As long as the Mariner is here, I won't propose anything to him" chuckled the Gourmand.

skekEkt swept the invisible dust from his sleeves.

"If you want to know my opinion... ah, is this it?"

A big bowl landed before the Designer, and before he could say anything, a plate full of crawlies flooded the table.

"Chaos!" squeaked skekEkt, moving fast with his hands, and pulled the podling servant. "Take these beasts off from the table, or this feast changes into the animals' parade!"

skekAyuk caught one crawlie and fastly bit him through, to release the sweet juice from the inside.

"Tasty."

"Ah!"

"Fond of taking a moment for fresh air?"

"With pleasure!"

***

"You are scared of crawlies."

They were standing together on the balcony, skekEkt leaning lightly over skekAyuk's shoulder. The moons were taking possession over the loud and ecstasy filled skeksis castle - one more reason to embrace their inner nature like only they could.

Not skekAyuk, though.

And certainly not skekEkt.

"You must talk about such a trivial thing when the sisters blink at us?" 

skekEkt looked on his companion with a promise of a smile, yet so perfectly feigning annoyance that only skekAyuk could recognize it - that playful gleam in his eyes.

"Well..."

"Tell me something I would want to hear," said the Designer, pushing him a bit, to look better into his face.

"I told so many things to you, so many secrets, that I doubt I can come up with something that gains your attention" skekAyuk smiled, teasing him.

"Ghm? Indulge me, if you please."

skekAyuk caught the spark that blinked in skekEkt's pupil. It was promising love, a lot of love. But the Gourmand saw something more - nostalgia. The Designer was in a sentimental mood.

"You weave my life, adding the golden thread to my lifeline. And as long as the gold is there, I am eternal. As long as the gold is intertwined with it, I WANT to be eternal. If the gold disappears, my eternity will be stained with rust."

"Oh..."

That was beautiful. And skekEkt knew it was honest. Because he felt the same.

"You are a fool to even think my golden thread ever disappears" and he fell into his arms, embracing him as tightly, as the stitch goes.

The tightest stitch in the eternity pattern.

***

The castle slowly was falling silent, the more wine the skeksis drank, the more glazed makras they ate - which gained a good amount of praise, even if skekAyuk wasn't there to witness, the more eager they became to share time alone.

skekSo disappeared somewhere with skekMal, which was a relief for skekSa, who was annoyed by constant gazes thrown at her by the ruler. 

skekNa went to check if skekTek's animals are safe - which was an amusing metaphor for being alone with skekTek of all.

The one gelfling guard, dirty and mangled as podling before the great bath, tried to stand on his feet, skekLi motivating him with tired shouts.

And skekEkt and skekAyuk, still on the balcony, alone, safe, in love, taking in the sisters light.

"My golden stitch..."

"Shut up and take it off."


End file.
